Prioritization of access points by an ANDSF server

ABSTRACT

Various exemplary embodiments relate to a method, network node, and non-transitory machine-readable storage medium including one or more of the following: identifying, by an ANDSF server, a location associated with a UE in communication with the ANDSF server via an S14 session over a first access network; determining a plurality of access points for use by the UE to utilize at least one access network other than the first access network; calculating a first score for a first access point; calculating a second score for a second access point; generating a policy identifying the first access point associated with a first priority and the second access point associated with a second priority, wherein the first priority is set higher than the second priority based on a comparison of the first score to the second score; and transmitting the policy to the UE.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is related to the following co-pending applications,which are hereby incorporated by reference for all purposes as if fullyset forth herein: application Ser. No. 14/105,453; and application Ser.No. 14/162,147.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Various exemplary embodiments disclosed herein relate generally toaccess network discovery and selection and, more particularly but notexclusively, to access network discovery and selection function (ANDSF)servers and clients.

BACKGROUND

The evolution of cell phone and other communications has yieldednumerous protocols and access networks for enabling communicationbetween user equipment (UE) and the Internet or other networks. Forexample, access networks have been established according to LTE, 3GPP,CDMA (3GPP2), WiMAX, and WiFi standards. Increasingly, UEs such as smartphones are implementing the capability to connect to multiple types ofaccess networks. For example, it is now common for smart phones toenable connection to WiFi access networks in addition to a cellularaccess network such as LTE. However, such UEs do not generally implementintelligent methods of deciding which access network to utilize andwhen; instead, it is often up to the user to manually enablecommunication via the desired access network.

The third generation partnership project (3GPP) is currently developinga number of standards defining an “access network discovery andselection function” (ANDSF) for aiding the UE in automatically selectingalternative access networks for supporting some or all of the networktraffic produced by the UE. However, while these standards providegeneral guidance on how an ANDSF should behave in some contexts, thestandards are mostly silent on the internal operations of the variousdevices involved.

SUMMARY

A brief summary of various exemplary embodiments is presented below.Some simplifications and omissions may be made in the following summary,which is intended to highlight and introduce some aspects of the variousexemplary embodiments, but not to limit the scope of the invention.Detailed descriptions of a preferred exemplary embodiment adequate toallow those of ordinary skill in the art to make and use the inventiveconcepts will follow in later sections.

Various embodiments relate to a method performed by an access networkdiscovery and selection function (ANDSF) server for provisioningpolicies, the method comprising: identifying, by an ANDSF server, alocation associated with a user equipment device (UE) in communicationwith the ANDSF server via an S14 session established over a first accessnetwork; retrieving a policy rule from a plurality of policy rules,wherein the policy rule includes a first portion for determiningapplicability of the policy rule and a second portion for determining apolicy to be provisioned when the policy rule is applicable;determining, based on evaluating the first portion of the policy ruleusing the location associated with the UE, that the policy rule isapplicable to the S14 session; generating, in response to determiningthat the policy rule is applicable to the S14 session, a policy based onthe second portion of the policy rule, wherein the policy includes anidentification of an access point for use by the UE to access a secondaccess network other than the first access network; and transmitting thepolicy including the identification of the access point to the UE viathe S14 session over the first access network.

Various embodiments relate to a access network discovery and selectionfunction (ANDSF) server for provisioning policies, the ANDSF servercomprising: a network interface in communication with a first accessnetwork; a storage device configured to store a plurality of policyrules, wherein a policy rule of the plurality of policy rules includes afirst portion for determining applicability of the policy rule and asecond portion for determining a policy to be provisioned when thepolicy rule is applicable; and a processor in communication with thenetwork interface and the storage device, wherein the processor isconfigured to: identify a location associated with a user equipmentdevice (UE) in communication with the ANDSF server via an S14 sessionestablished over the network interface; retrieve the policy rule from aplurality of policy rules; determine, based on evaluating the firstportion of the policy rule using the location associated with the UE,that the policy rule is applicable to the S14 session; generate, inresponse to determining that the policy rule is applicable to the S14session, a policy based on the second portion of the policy rule,wherein the policy includes an identification of an access point for useby the UE to access a second access network other than the first accessnetwork; and transmit the policy including the identification of theaccess point to the UE via the S14 session over the network interface.

Various embodiments relate to a non-transitory machine-readable storagemedium encoded with instruction for execution by an access networkdiscovery and selection function (ANDSF) server for provisioningpolicies, the non-transitory machine-readable storage medium comprising:instructions for identifying, by an ANDSF server, a location associatedwith a user equipment device (UE) in communication with the ANDSF servervia an S14 session established over a first access network; instructionsfor retrieving a policy rule from a plurality of policy rules, whereinthe policy rule includes a first portion for determining applicabilityof the policy rule and a second portion for determining a policy to beprovisioned when the policy rule is applicable; instructions fordetermining, based on evaluating the first portion of the policy ruleusing the location associated with the UE, that the policy rule isapplicable to the S14 session; instructions for generating, in responseto determining that the policy rule is applicable to the S14 session, apolicy based on the second portion of the policy rule, wherein thepolicy includes an identification of an access point for use by the UEto access a second access network other than the first access network;and instructions for transmitting the policy including theidentification of the access point to the UE via the S14 session overthe first access network.

Various embodiments are described wherein identifying the locationcomprises receiving, from the UE, a request for a policy, wherein therequest identifies the location as a current location of the UE.

Various embodiments additionally include determining, based onevaluating respective first portions of the plurality of policy rules,that the policy rules are inapplicable to an additional S14 session;retrieving a default policy rule based on determining that the policyrules are inapplicable to a second S14 session; generating an additionalpolicy based on the default policy rule; and transmitting the additionalpolicy via the additional S14 session.

Various embodiments are described wherein the second portion includes areference to a policy profile and generating the policy based on thesecond portion of the policy rule comprises: retrieving a policy profilebased on the reference to the policy profile, and evaluating the policyprofile to generate at least a portion of the policy.

Various embodiments are described wherein evaluating the policy profilecomprises generating at least one of an inter-system mobility policy(ISMP) and an inter-system routing policy (ISRP) to be included in thepolicy.

Various embodiments are described wherein the second portion includes anordered list of policy profile references, and generating the policybased on the second portion of the policy rule comprises: evaluating afirst policy profile associated with a first policy profile referencefrom the ordered list to generate a first portion of the policy;evaluating a second policy profile associated with a second policyprofile reference from the ordered list to generate a second portion ofthe policy; and providing the first portion of the policy with a higherpriority than the second portion of the policy based on the relativelocations of the first policy profile reference and the second policyprofile reference in the ordered list.

Various embodiments are described wherein evaluating the first portionof the policy rule using the location associated with the UE comprisesevaluating the first portion of the policy rule using the location andsubscriber information associated with the UE.

Various embodiments relate to a method performed by an access networkdiscovery and selection function (ANDSF) server for provisioningpolicies, the method comprising: identifying, by an ANDSF server, alocation associated with a user equipment device (UE) in communicationwith the ANDSF server via an S14 session established over a first accessnetwork; determining a plurality of access points for use by the UE toutilize at least one access network other than the first access network;calculating a first score, using a first score formula, for a firstaccess point of the plurality of access points; calculating a secondscore, using the first score formula, for a second access point of theplurality of access points; generating a policy identifying the firstaccess point associated with a first priority and the second accesspoint associated with a second priority, wherein the first priority isset higher than the second priority based on a comparison of the firstscore to the second score; and transmitting the policy to the UE via theS14 session over the first access network.

Various embodiments relate to a access network discovery and selectionfunction (ANDSF) server for provisioning policies, the ANDSF servercomprising: a network interface in communication with a first accessnetwork; a storage device; and a processor in communication with thenetwork interface and the storage device, wherein the processor isconfigured to: identify a location associated with a user equipmentdevice (UE) in communication with the ANDSF server via an S14 sessionestablished over the network interface; determine a plurality of accesspoints for use by the UE to utilize at least one access network otherthan the first access network; calculate a first score, using a firstscore formula, for a first access point of the plurality of accesspoints; calculate a second score, using the first score formula, for asecond access point of the plurality of access points; generate a policyidentifying the first access point associated with a first priority andthe second access point associated with a second priority, wherein thefirst priority is set higher than the second priority based on acomparison of the first score to the second score; and transmit thepolicy to the UE via the S14 session over the network interface.

Various embodiments relate to a non-transitory machine-readable storagemedium encoded with instructions for execution by an access networkdiscovery and selection function (ANDSF) server for provisioningpolicies, the non-transitory machine-readable storage medium comprising:instructions for identifying, by an ANDSF server, a location associatedwith a user equipment device (UE) in communication with the ANDSF servervia an S14 session established over a first access network; instructionsfor determining a plurality of access points for use by the UE toutilize at least one access network other than the first access network;instructions for calculating a first score, using a first score formula,for a first access point of the plurality of access points; instructionsfor calculating a second score, using the first score formula, for asecond access point of the plurality of access points; instructions forgenerating a policy identifying the first access point associated with afirst priority and the second access point associated with a secondpriority, wherein the first priority is set higher than the secondpriority based on a comparison of the first score to the second score;and instructions for transmitting the policy to the UE via the S14session over the first access network.

Various embodiments are described wherein identifying the locationcomprises receiving, from the UE, a request for a policy, wherein therequest identifies the location as a current location of the UE.

Various embodiments additionally include calculating a third score,using a second score formula other than the first score formula, for athird access point of the plurality of access points, wherein the policyadditionally identifies the third access point associated with a thirdpriority that is determined based on a comparison of the third score tothe first and second score.

Various embodiments are described wherein the first score formulacomprises a weight assigned to a respective access point and a recentutilization rating of the respective access point.

Various embodiments are described wherein the first score formula ispreviously configured by an operator to be used by the ANDSF server.

Various embodiments are described wherein determining the pluralityaccess points comprises evaluating a policy profile to generate a listof access points including the first access point and the second accesspoint; and generating the policy comprises creating a first policyelement based on the policy profile, wherein the first policy elementidentifies the first access point associated with the first priority andthe second access point associated with the second priority, wherein thefirst policy element is at least one of an inter system routing policy(ISRP) and an inter system mobility policy (ISMP).

Various embodiments are described wherein the policy includes a secondpolicy element that is at least one of an ISRP and an ISMP, the firstpolicy element is associated with a first element priority within thepolicy, and the second policy element is associated with a secondelement priority within the policy.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order to better understand various exemplary embodiments, referenceis made to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary environment for enabling communicationvia multiple access networks;

FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary component diagram of an ANDSF server;

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary hardware diagram of an ANDSF server;

FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary data arrangement for storing policyrules;

FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary data arrangement for storing GeoFencedefinitions;

FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary data arrangement for storing an intersystem mobility policy (ISMP) profile;

FIG. 7 illustrates an exemplary data arrangement for storing an intersystem routing policy (ISRP) profile;

FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary data arrangement for storing a networkelement object;

FIG. 9 illustrates an exemplary method for generating a policy; and

FIG. 10 illustrates an exemplary method for evaluating a policy profile.

To facilitate understanding, identical reference numerals have been usedto designate elements having substantially the same or similar structureor substantially the same or similar function.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The description and drawings presented herein illustrate variousprinciples. It will be appreciated that those skilled in the art will beable to devise various arrangements that, although not explicitlydescribed or shown herein, embody these principles and are includedwithin the scope of this disclosure. As used herein, the term, “or,” asused herein, refers to a non-exclusive or (i.e., and/or), unlessotherwise indicated (e.g., “or else” or “or in the alternative”).Additionally, the various embodiments described herein are notnecessarily mutually exclusive and may be combined to produce additionalembodiments that incorporate the principles described herein.

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary environment 100 for enablingcommunication via multiple access networks. The exemplary environment100 may be a telecommunications network for providing user equipment(UE) 110 with access to a packet data network (PDN) 150, such as theInternet.

The UE 110 is a device that communicates with the packet data network150 for providing the end-user with one or more data services. Such dataservice may include, for example, voice communication, text messaging,multimedia streaming, and Internet access. More specifically, in variousexemplary embodiments, the UE 110 may be a personal or laptop computer,mobile or smart phone, tablet, television set-top box, or any otherdevice capable of communicating with other devices via a network.

The environment 100 may include multiple routes for the UE 110 to accessthe PDN 150. For example, as part of a first route, the environment 110includes a base station 120 and a 3G/LTE backhaul access network 125.The base station 120 may be a device that enables communication betweenuser equipment 110 and the 3G/LTE backhaul access network 125. Forexample, the base station 120 may be a base transceiver station such asa radio network controller, nodeB, or an evolved nodeB (eNodeB) asdefined by 3GPP standards. Thus, the base station 120 may be a devicethat communicates with the UE 110 via a first medium, such as radiowaves, and communicates with the 3G/LTE backhaul access network 125 viaa second medium, such as Ethernet cable. In various embodiments,multiple base stations (not shown) may be present to provide mobility tothe UE 110.

The 3G/LTE backhaul access network 125 may be a series of routers, suchas service aggregation routers, and other network elements configured totransport traffic to devices such as various devices belonging to anevolved packet core (EPC) 140. As will be explained in greater detailbelow, the EPC 140 may provide controlled and metered access to the PDN150.

As part of a second route to the PDN 150, the exemplary environmentincludes a WiFi access point 130 and a WiFi access network 135. The WiFiaccess point 130 may be a device that enables communication between userequipment 110 and the WiFi access network 135. For example, the WiFiaccess point 130 may be a wireless router or other access point asdefined by IEEE standards. Thus, the WiFi access point 130 may be adevice that communicates with the UE 110 via a first medium, such asradio waves, and communicates with the WiFi access network 135 via asecond medium, such as Ethernet cable. In various embodiments, multipleWiFi access points (not shown) may be present to provide mobility to theUE 110.

The WiFi access network 135 may be a series of routers and other networkelements configured to transport traffic to devices such as variousdevices belonging to the EPC 140. As such, traffic that is redirectedover the WiFi access network 135 may still be controlled and metered bythe EPC 140 as will be detailed further below. Additionally, as shown,the WiFi access network 135 may enable non-seamless WiFi offload byproviding a direct connection to the PDN, bypassing the EPC 140.

It will be appreciated that while the exemplary environment 100 isillustrated as including one WiFi access network and one 3G/LTE accessnetwork, various embodiments may include alternative or additionalaccess networks. For example, an alternative environment (not shown) mayinclude 3G/LTE access networks, WiFi access networks, WiMAX accessnetworks, 3GPP access networks, or CDMA access networks. It will beapparent that the various principles described herein with respect tothe 3G/LTE access network 125 and WiFi access network 135 may be appliedto any combination of such access networks to achieve various benefitsdescribed herein.

The EPC 140 includes a collection of devices defined by the 3GPP toprovide various services according to an LTE network. For example, theEPC 140 may include service gateways, PDN gateways, policy and chargingrules function (PCRF) nodes, and subscription profile repositories(SPRs). The EPC 140 may manage UE sessions, authorize the transfer ofapplication traffic to and from the PDN 150 upon request, enforcequality of service (QoS) limits and guarantees, meter network usage,apply charges to a subscribers account, or perform any other functionsassociated with an LTE EPC.

Various embodiments described herein facilitate the discovery of andselection among the available access networks 125, 135 for transport ofdata traffic by the UE 110. To this end, the UE 110 includes an accessnetwork discovery and selection function (ANDSF) client 115 thatcommunicates with an ANDSF server 160 via an S14 session 170. As shown,the S14 session 170 is established via the 3G/LTE backhaul accessnetwork 125; in various embodiments, the S14 session 170 may beestablished over other available networks such as the WiFi accessnetwork 135 or other networks (not shown). In various embodiments, theS14 session may transfer messages on the data plane according to theOpen Mobile Alliance (OMA) device management (DM) protocol. Variousother protocols for the transfer of messages to implement thefunctionalities described herein will be apparent.

The ANDSF client 115 may establish the session by first transmittingidentifying information (such as a triplet including IMSI, IMEI, andIMSISD values) to authenticate the subscriber using the UE 110. If theANDSF server 160 is able to authenticate the subscriber as an existingand active subscriber, the ANDSF server 160 may create a new S14 sessionand transmit an S14 session identifier back to the ANDSF client 115 foruse in future communications.

Once the S14 session 170 has been established, the ANDSF server 160 mayassist the UE 110 by transmitting access network policies to the ANDSFclient 115. As will be described in greater detail below, access networkpolicies may include identifications of available access points,prioritization of access points, criteria for determining when to usevarious access points, or other information specified by the 3GPP asused by the UE 110 in automatically determining which access networks125, 135 to utilize. Such policies may be delivered according tomultiple procedures. In a PULL procedure, the ANDSF client 115 sends amessage to the ANDSF server 160 requesting that access network policiesbe provided. The request message also includes information revealing thecurrent location of the UE 110. For example, the location informationmay include a current cell identifier, location area code (LAC),tracking area code (TAC), public land mobile network (PLMN) identifier,GPS coordinates, or any other information useful in identifying alocation. Based on the location information, the ANDSF server mayidentify nearby alternative access points and associated priorities,criteria, and other policy information. The generated policy is thenreturned to the ANDSF client 115 for use.

According to the PUSH procedure, the ANDSF server 160 provides policyinformation without having recently received a request from the ANDSFclient 115. In other words, the ANDSF server 160 pushes an unsolicitedset of policy information to the ANDSF client 115. Such a PUSH proceduremay be used, for example, when policy information is modified by anoperator of the ANDSF server 160 or when specifically requested by theoperator. The pushed policy information may be based on the mostrecently reported location of the UE 110 or, as will be described ingreater detail below, based on an anticipated future location of theANDSF client 115.

FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary component diagram of an ANDSF server200. The ANDSF server 200 may be a standalone device or may be acomponent of another system. For example, the ANDSF server 200 maycorrespond to the ANDSF server 160 of the exemplary environment 100. Asanother example, the ANDSF server 200 may be integrated into one of thedevices belonging to the EPC 140 of the exemplary environment 100.Various other deployments for the ANDSF server 200 will be apparent.

The ANDSF server 200 includes multiple components for enabling thecommunications specified by the 3GPP standards. For example, as shown,the ANDSF server 200 includes a network interface 205, request handler210, rules engine 215, and policy rules storage 220. Together, thesecomponents 205, 210, 215, 220 may facilitate responding to an ANSDFclient PULL request. It will be apparent that FIG. 2 may constitute anabstraction or simplification in some respects and that additionalcomponents may be included for performing this or other functions. Forexample, additional components (not shown) may be included forestablishing new S14 sessions. Various other modifications will beapparent.

The network interface 205 may include hardware or executableinstructions on a machine-readable storage medium configured to exchangemessages with other devices according to one or more communicationsprotocols. For example, the network interface 205 may include anEthernet or TCP/IP interface. The network interface 205 may implementvarious other protocol stacks such as, for example, an OMA-DM orDiameter stack. In various embodiments, the network interface 205 mayinclude multiple physical ports.

The request handler 210 may include hardware or executable instructionson a machine-readable storage medium configured to interpret receivedmessages to identify S14 session modification requests which includepull requests for policy information. Upon identifying such a pullrequest, the request handler 210 may perform authentication such as, forexample, determining whether an S14 session identifier carried by therequest message corresponds to an active S14 session. After verifyingthat the ANDSF server 200 recognizes the session with which the requestis associated, the request handler 210 invokes a policy generator tocreate a policy for inclusion in a response message. Various embodimentsmay employ different methods and components for generating policies. Inthe exemplary ANDSF server 200, the policy generator invoked by therequest handler 210 is the rules engine 215. Invocation of the rulesengine 215 may include passing various information to the rules engine215 such as, for example, location information carried by the request orsubscriber information retrieved from an SPR by the request handler 210or another component.

Upon receiving a policy back from the rules engine 215, the requesthandler 210 constructs a response message to the requesting ANDSFclient. The response message may be formed according to the S14 protocoland carry the generated policy. The request handler 210 then sends theresponse message back to the ANDSF client via the network interface 205.

As noted above, in some embodiments, the ANDSF server 200 alternativelyor additionally pushes policies to various ANDSF clients without firstreceiving a request for such a policy. In such embodiments, a component(not shown) may determine when to push a policy based on factors such asa schedule or operator action. After making such a determination, theANDSF server 200 may operate in a manner similar to request handler 210,by invoking the rules engine 215 (or other policy generator) andconstructing an S14 message to deliver the resultant policy.

The rules engine 215 may include hardware or executable instructions ona machine-readable storage medium configured to identify or otherwisegenerate a policy to be transmitted to an ANDSF client. The rules engine215 evaluates one or more externalized rules stored in the policy rulesstorage 220 to determine, based on the context of the request, whatpolicy should be sent to the ANDSF client. As will be described ingreater detail below with respect to FIG. 4, the rules may be evaluatedagainst context information such as a provided UE location.

The policy rules storage 220 may be any machine-readable medium capableof storing one or more rules for evaluation by the rules engine 215.Accordingly, the policy rules storage 220 may include a machine-readablestorage medium such as read-only memory (ROM), random-access memory(RAM), magnetic disk storage media, optical storage media, flash-memorydevices, and/or similar storage media. Exemplary contents for the policyrules storage 240 will be described in greater detail below with respectto FIG. 4.

Various embodiments of the ANDSF server 200 may utilize policy profilesto facilitate generation of components of the policy. For example, apolicy profile may facilitate generation of one or more inter systemmobility policy (ISMP) or inter system routing policy (ISRP) to beincluded in the policy transmitted to the ANDSF client. In someembodiments, the request handler 210 may invoke such policy profilesdirectly as part of invoking a policy generator. In other embodiments,such as the embodiment of FIG. 2, the various policy rules includereferences to policy profiles that are to be evaluated when a policyrule is applied. The ANDSF server 200 may include multiple components tofacilitate policy profile evaluation, such as a profile evaluationengine 225, policy profiles storage 230, access network selection ruleevaluation engine 235, network element objects storage 240, and networkelement prioritization engine 245.

The profile evaluation engine 225 may include hardware or executableinstructions on a machine-readable storage medium configured to evaluatepolicy profiles to generate policy elements. As shown, the profileevaluation engine 225 evaluates both ISMP profiles and ISRP profiles.Upon receiving an indication of a policy profile, such as from the rulesengine 215, the profile evaluation engine 225 retrieves the identifiedpolicy profile from the policy profiles storage 230. In some cases, thepolicy profile may simply identify the information to be included in thepolicy element. In such case, the profile evaluation engine 225 maysimply format the component to include the information carried by thepolicy profile according to the S14 protocol and return the component tothe rules engine 215 or other requesting component. In other cases, theprofile may identify or otherwise be associated with additionalprocessing. For example, some policy profiles may identify a list ofnetwork elements and an algorithm for eliminating some network elementsfrom the list prior to profile component generation. In suchembodiments, the profile evaluation engine 225 may be configured toapply the identified algorithm to generate an “available list” ofnetwork elements.

The policy profiles storage 230 may be any machine-readable mediumcapable of storing one or more profiles for evaluation by the profileevaluation engine 225. Accordingly, the policy profiles storage 230 mayinclude a machine-readable storage medium such as read-only memory(ROM), random-access memory (RAM), magnetic disk storage media, opticalstorage media, flash-memory devices, and/or similar storage media.Exemplary contents for the policy profiles storage 230 will be describedin greater detail below with respect to FIGS. 6-7.

In some cases, the network elements identified by a policy profile maybe associated with one or more “access network selection rules” for usein further determining whether to exclude network elements from thepolicy element under generation. In such embodiments, the profileevaluation engine 225 may send the available list, or other networkelement list, to the access network selection rule evaluation engine235. The access network selection rule evaluation engine 235 may includehardware or executable instructions on a machine-readable storage mediumconfigured to generate an “applicable list” of network elements based onthe network element objects. The access network selection ruleevaluation engine 235 retrieves a network element object from thenetwork element objects storage 240 for each network element in thereceived list. Then, the access network selection rule evaluation engine235 evaluates each access network selection rule carried by the networkelement object. Based on the evaluation of the access network selectionrules, the access network selection rule evaluation engine 235 mayexclude one or more network elements from inclusion in the applicablelist. After evaluating each network element, the access networkselection rule evaluation engine 235 returns the applicable list to theprofile evaluation engine 225.

The network element objects storage 240 may be any machine-readablemedium capable of storing one or more network element objects.Accordingly, the network element objects storage 240 may include amachine-readable storage medium such as read-only memory (ROM),random-access memory (RAM), magnetic disk storage media, optical storagemedia, flash-memory devices, and/or similar storage media. Exemplarycontents for the network element objects storage 240 will be describedin greater detail below with respect to FIG. 8.

In some embodiments, the ANSDF 200 may employ one or more methods forprioritizing the list of network elements included in the policyelement. In some such embodiments, upon receiving an applicable listback from the access network selection rule evaluation engine 235, theprofile evaluation engine 225 passes the applicable list to the networkelement prioritization engine 245. The network element prioritizationengine 245 may include hardware or executable instructions on amachine-readable storage medium configured to assign priorities to eachnetwork element in a received list. Upon receiving an applicable list,or other network element list, the network element prioritization engine245 calculates a score for each network element according to a scoreformula. For example, the network element prioritization engine 245 maycalculate the score for each network element as “score=network elementweight+10*network element utilization,” where the network element weightmay be an operator-assigned weight carried by the associated networkelement object and the network element utilization may be a utilizationmetric reported by another device, such as a network monitor. It will beapparent that various additional formulas may be used. In someembodiments, the score formula may be configured by an operator of theANDSF server 200 and may use additional or alternative values, such as asignal strength or subscriber information. Further, different scoreformulas may be provided for specific network elements or types ofnetwork elements. Various additional modifications will be apparent.

After calculating a score for each network element in the applicablelist, the network element prioritization engine 245 reorders theapplicable list according to the scores. For example, the networkelements may be in ascending score order. Then, the network elementprioritization engine 245 returns the ordered list to the profileevaluation engine 225 which may then proceed to complete generation ofthe policy element.

The ANDSF server 200 also enables operator configuration and, in someembodiments, includes an operator interface 250. The operator interfacemay include local interface components such as, for example, a monitor,mouse, and keyboard along with a graphical user interface (GUI) forenabling configuration of the ANDSF server 200 such as by, for example,defining rules or policies stored in the policy rules and profilesstorage 240. In some embodiments, the operator interface may enablepresentation of a GUI to a remote server via the network interface 210.Various other operator interfaces 250 for enabling operatorconfiguration of the ANDSF server 200 will be apparent. An operator mayus the operator interface to define or modify policy rules, policyprofiles, or network element objects utilized by the ANDSF server 200.

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary hardware diagram of an ANDSF server 300.The exemplary ANDSF server 300 may correspond to the ANDSF server 200 ofFIG. 2 or the ANDSF server 160 of FIG. 1. As shown, the ANDSF server 300includes a processor 320, memory 330, user interface 340, networkinterface 350, and storage 360 interconnected via one or more systembuses 310. It will be understood that FIG. 3 constitutes, in somerespects, an abstraction and that the actual organization of thecomponents of the ANDSF server 300 may be more complex than illustrated.

The processor 320 may be any hardware device capable of executinginstructions stored in memory 330 or storage 360. As such, the processormay include a microprocessor, field programmable gate array (FPGA),application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or other similardevices.

The memory 330 may include various memories such as, for example L1, L2,or L3 cache or system memory. As such, the memory 330 may include staticrandom access memory (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), flash memory, read onlymemory (ROM), or other similar memory devices.

The user interface 340 may include one or more devices for enablingcommunication with a user such as an administrator. For example, theuser interface 340 may include a display, a mouse, and a keyboard forreceiving user commands.

The network interface 350 may include one or more devices for enablingcommunication with other hardware devices. For example, the networkinterface 350 may include a network interface card (NIC) configured tocommunicate according to the Ethernet protocol. Additionally, thenetwork interface 350 may implement a TCP/IP stack for communicationaccording to the TCP/IP protocols. Various alternative or additionalhardware or configurations for the network interface 350 will beapparent.

The storage 360 may include one or more machine-readable storage mediasuch as read-only memory (ROM), random-access memory (RAM), magneticdisk storage media, optical storage media, flash-memory devices, orsimilar storage media. In various embodiments, the storage 360 may storeinstructions for execution by the processor 320 or data upon with theprocessor 360 may operate. For example, the storage 360 may store ANSDFserver instructions 361 for implementing basic ANDSF serverfunctionality such as, for example, S14 session establishment and S14message processing. The storage 360 may also store policy generationinstructions and structures for use in generating policies to beprovisioned to ANSDF clients. As such, the storage 360 may store ruleevaluation instruction 362 for evaluating policy rules 363. Additionallyor alternatively, the storage 360 may store profile evaluationinstructions 364 for evaluating policy profiles 365. To support profileevaluation instructions 364, the storage 360 may also store accessnetwork selection rule evaluation instructions 366 for evaluatingnetwork element object 367 and prioritization instructions forprioritizing included network elements.

It will be apparent that various information described as stored in thestorage 360 may be additionally or alternatively stored in the memory330. For example, the user location log 365 may be additionally,alternatively, or partially stored in the memory 330. In this respect,the memory 330 may also be considered to constitute a “storage device.”Various other arrangements will be apparent. Further, the memory 330 andstorage 360 may both be considered to be “non-transitorymachine-readable media.” As used herein, the term “non-transitory” willbe understood to exclude transitory signals but to include all forms ofstorage, including both volatile and non-volatile memories.

While the ANDSF server 300 is shown as including one of each describedcomponent, the various components may be duplicated in variousembodiments. For example, the processor 320 may include multiplemicroprocessors that are configured to independently execute the methodsdescribed herein or are configured to perform steps or subroutines ofthe methods described herein such that the multiple processors cooperateto achieve the functionality described herein. In some embodiments, suchas those wherein the ANSDF server is implemented in a cloud computingarchitecture, components may be physically distributed among differentdevices. For example, the processor 320 may include a firstmicroprocessor in a first data center and a second microprocessor in asecond data center. Various other arrangements will be apparent.

FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary data arrangement 400 for storing policyrules. As such, the data arrangement 400 may be stored in a memory 330or storage device 360 of the ANDSF server 300 and may reflect contentsof the policy rules storage 220. It will be apparent that the dataarrangement 400 may be an abstraction and may be stored in any mannerknown to those of skill in the art such as, for example, a table, linkedlist, array, database, or other structure. In some embodiments, the dataarrangement 400 may be accessible using a query language such as, forexample, the structured query language (SQL).

The data arrangement 400 includes a criteria field 410 and a resultfield 420. The criteria field 410 may indicate one or more conditionsfor determining whether a rule is applicable to a current context. Theresult field 420 may indicate information to be used in generating apolicy when a rule is applicable.

As a first example, rule 430 indicates that it is to be applied when atracking area code (TAC) of the UE is currently “0xA13.” The rule 430also indicates that, when applicable, two policy profiles, “ISMP Profile1” and “ISRP Profile 7” are to be evaluated to generate a policy.

As another example, rule 440 indicates that it is to be applied whenboth a TAC of the UE is currently “0xA23” and a subscriber category of asubscriber associated with the UE is “GOLD.” The rule 440 also indicatesthat, when applicable, three policy profiles, “ISMP Profile 8,” “ISMPProfile 1,” and “ISRP Profile 7” are to be used and potentiallyevaluated to generate a policy. In such a case where a rule listsmultiple profiles directed to the same type of policy element (in thiscase, two policy profiles directed to creating an ISMP), the order ofthe profiles within the result may indicate the priorities to beassigned to the resultant components. For example, the ISMP created byISMP Profile 8 may have a priority of “1,” while the ISMP created byISMP Profile 1 may have a priority of “2.”

In some cases, no rule may be identified as applicable. In such cases, adefault rule may be defined. As an example, rule 450 indicates that as adefault action, two policy profiles, “ISMP Profile 10” and “ISRP Profile10” should be evaluated to generate a policy. Such a default may be usedwhere the current context does not match any criteria for other rules orwhere received location information is not defined for, or otherwise notunderstood by, the ANDSF server. Various other situations in which adefault rule such as policy rule 450 may be useful will be apparent. Thedata arrangement may contain numerous additional policy rules 460.

It will be noted that location may be defined by values other than TAC.For example, a rule may be evaluated against a cell identifier, LAC,PLMN identifier, or GPS coordinates. In some embodiments, locations maybe identified using an operator-defined “GeoFence.” As will be describedfurther below with respect to FIG. 5, a GeoFence may be associated witha geographic area on the ANSDF server but not known to the ANSDFclients. As an example, a rule (not shown) may indicate that it isapplicable when the UE is currently (or anticipated to be) within theGeoFence identified as “Capitol Area.”

FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary data arrangement 500 for storingGeoFence definitions. As such, the data arrangement 500 may be stored ina memory 330 or storage device 360 of the ANDSF server 300. It will beapparent that the data arrangement 500 may be an abstraction and may bestored in any manner known to those of skill in the art such as, forexample, a table, linked list, array, database, or other structure. Insome embodiments, the data arrangement 500 may be accessible using aquery language such as, for example, the structured query language(SQL).

The data arrangement 500 includes a GeoFence name field 510 and alocations field 520. The GeoFence name field 510 may provide a handlefor each GeoFence, such that rules and other processes or structures mayrefer to a GeoFence. The locations field 520 may identify one or morenon-GeoFence location identifiers to which the GeoFence corresponds.

As an example, GeoFence definition 530 indicates that a UE is consideredwithin the “Capitol Area” GeoFence when the UE is reported to be locatedin any of the TACs “0x4E9,” “0x4EA,” or “0x4EB” Likewise, a UE may bepredicted to be within the “Capitol Area” GeoFence in the future if theUE is predicted to enter any of these TACs. As another example, GeoFencedefinition 540 indicates that a UE is considered (or anticipated) to bewithin the “Mall” GeoFence when the UE is reported (or anticipated) tobe located either within TAC “0xBB4” or PLMN “0x11.” Various alternativemethods of defining geographic locations will be apparent. For example,a geographic location may be defined by a point, such as GPScoordinates, along with a radius thereby identifying the area within thecircle defined by the point and radius. The data arrangement 500 mayinclude numerous additional GeoFence definitions 550.

FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary data arrangement 600 for storing aninter system mobility policy (ISMP) profile. As such, the dataarrangement 600 may be stored in a memory 330 or storage device 360 ofthe ANDSF server 300 and may reflect contents of the policy profilesstorage 240. It will be apparent that the data arrangement 600 may be anabstraction and may be stored in any manner known to those of skill inthe art such as, for example, a table, linked list, array, database, orother structure. In some embodiments, the data arrangement 600 may beaccessible using a query language such as, for example, the structuredquery language (SQL).

The ISMP profile 600 may be used to generate an ISMP, as defined by therelevant 3GPP standards, for inclusion in a policy sent to an ANDSFclient. As such, the ISMP profile 600 may specify various information tobe included in the resultant ISMP. It will be apparent that the ISMPprofile 600 may be a simplification in some respects and, as such, mayomit some information that may be otherwise included in an ISMP profile.For example, as shown, the ISMP profile 600 does not specify any time ofday information which, according to the relevant standards, may beincluded in an ISMP. In various embodiments, the ISMP profile 600 mayadditionally specify time of day information. Various additionalinformation to include in an ISMP profile will be apparent.

As shown, the ISMP profile 600 includes a name field 610 identifying aname of “ISMP Profile 1.” This name may be used by other components toreference the ISMP Profile 600. For example, policy rules 430, 440 bothreference this name. As such, evaluation of these rules, whenapplicable, may involve evaluation of ISMP profile 600. The ISMP profile600 may also include one or more values that are to be copied into theISMP under construction. For example, the PLMN field 620 may indicatethat the ISMP under construction should carry the value “444123” as aPLMN value. Similarly, the validity area field 640 may indicate that theGeofence “Capitol Area” should be used to define the validity area valuefor the generated ISMP. In various embodiments, the ANDSF server mayfirst translate the GeoFence to a set of values that will be understoodby the ANDSF client. For example, according to GeoFence definition 530,the ISMP may include 3GPP locations including TACs 0x4E9, 0x4EA, and0x4EB as a validity area value.

In addition to defining information that is simply copied into an ISMPunder construction, the ISMP profile 600 may also include informationthat may be used to adaptively or procedurally generate information tobe included in the ISMP. For example, to generate the PrioritizedAccessvalues of the ISMP, the ISMP profile may identify a list of networkelements to be considered in the list of network elements field 640.These identifications may correspond to separate network element objectsthat specify various information, such as access technology and accessIDS, that will be included in the PrioritizedAccess values. Further, theuse all network elements field 650 may include an indication of whetherall network elements identified in the list of network elements field640 should be included in the ISMP or whether the list should be prunedto produce an “available list.” If the use all network elements field650 is set to no, the ANDSF server may utilize an algorithm specified inthe algorithm field 660 to determine whether to include each networkelement in the ISMP or in an available list that will be furtherevaluated and possibly reduced based on, for example, access networkselection rules which will be described in greater detail below withrespect to FIG. 8.

The algorithm field 660 may include a reference to an algorithm that theANDSF server is configured to recognize and apply. For example, a valueof “Same LAC” may refer to an algorithm that includes only those networkelements located within the same LAC as the UE for which a policy isbeing generated. As another example, a value of “Same GeoFencing” mayrefer to an algorithm that includes only those network elements locatedwithin the same GeoFence as the UE for which a policy is beinggenerated. In the example of FIG. 6, the algorithm field 600 includes avalue of “proximity” which may refer to an algorithm that includes onlythose network elements within a predetermined distance from the UE. Insome embodiments, the operator may be able to define algorithms eitherby installing “plug-ins” or writing algorithms according to a scriptingor programming language understood by the ANDSF server.

Thus, in the example of FIG. 6, an ANDSF server may apply the proximityalgorithm to return an available list of “NE2; NE4; NE7,” because NE3and NE8 may be determined, by the proximity algorithm, to be too farfrom the UE to be included. The ANDSF server would then proceed toretrieve information from the three network element objects associatedwith these respective handles to generate the PrioritizedAccessinformation to be included in the ISMP. As will be explained in greaterdetail below with respect to FIG. 10, generation of thePrioritizedAccess information may also include calculating a score foreach of the three network elements and using the scored to setAccessNetworkPriority fields of the PrioritizedAccess information.

FIG. 7 illustrates an exemplary data arrangement 700 for storing aninter system routing policy (ISRP) profile. As such, the dataarrangement 700 may be stored in a memory 330 or storage device 360 ofthe ANDSF server 300 and may reflect contents of the policy profilesstorage 240. It will be apparent that the data arrangement 700 may be anabstraction and may be stored in any manner known to those of skill inthe art such as, for example, a table, linked list, array, database, orother structure. In some embodiments, the data arrangement 700 may beaccessible using a query language such as, for example, the structuredquery language (SQL).

The ISRP profile 700 may be used to generate an ISRP, as defined by therelevant 3GPP standards, for inclusion in a policy sent to an ANDSFclient. As such, the ISRP profile 700 may specify various information tobe included in the resultant ISRP. It will be apparent that the ISRPprofile 700 may be a simplification in some respects and, as such, mayomit some information that may be otherwise included in an ISRP profile.For example, as shown, the ISRP profile 700 includes information forgenerating flow-based criteria. Various alternative ISRP profiles mayadditionally or alternatively include information appropriate forgenerating service based criteria or non-seamless offload criteria.Information for inclusion in such alternative ISRP profiles will beapparent in view of the following and the relevant standards.

As shown, the ISRP profile 700 includes a name field 705 identifying aname of “ISRP Profile 7.” This name may be used by other components toreference the ISRP Profile 600. For example, policy rules 430, 440 bothreference this name. As such, evaluation of these rules, whenapplicable, may involve evaluation of ISRP profile 700. The ISRP profile700 may also include one or more values that are to be copied into theISMP under construction. For example, the PLMN field 710 may indicatethat the ISRP under construction should carry the value “310010” as aPLMN value.

The ISRP profile 700 may also include one or more fields that arespecific to various types of ISRP. In the example of FIG. 7, the ISRPprofile 700 is useful for creating an ISRP using flow-based criteria. Assuch, the ISRP profile 700 includes a flow based criteria field 715 forstoring or otherwise identifying information specific to a flow-basedpolicy. For example, the flow based criteria field 715 includes areference to a separate flow-based criteria object, “FB1.” For the sakeof simplicity, the contents of the flow-based criteria object “FB1” areillustrated as belonging to the ISRP profile itself in fields 720-750.In various alternative embodiments, the flow-based criteria field 715may not reference an external object and, instead, directly contain theinformation to be used in the ISRP.

As shown, the flow based criteria field 715 may include, or point to anobject including, an IP flows field 720. The IP flows field 720 mayspecify IP flows to which the ISRP will apply, either directly or bypointing to an external object. In the example of FIG. 7, the IP flowsfield 720 references an external object, “ipFlow2,” the contents ofwhich are shown in fields 725-735 for the sake of simplicity. In variousalternative embodiments, the IP information may be defined directlywithin the flow based criteria object “FB1” or the ISRP profile 700. Asshown, an IP flow may be associated with a source range field 725, adestination range field 730, and an application field 735. It will beapparent that various alternative information may be included to definean IP flow such as, for example, quality of service (QoS) or domain nameinformation. In the example of FIG. 7, the resulting ISRP may identifyitself as applicable to IP flows providing a streaming videoapplication, from a source IP and port between 1.1.1.1:111 and2.2.2.2:222, and to a destination IP and port between 3.3.3.3:133 and4.4.4.4:144. Such information may be included within the ISRP to helpthe ANDSF client select IP flows to which the ISRP applies.

The flow based criteria field 715 may also include, or point to anobject including, routing criteria. The routing criteria field 740 mayspecify criteria for selecting an ISRP, either directly or by pointingto an external object. In the example of FIG. 7, routing criteria field740 references an external object, “RC1,” the contents of which areshown in fields 745,750 for the sake of simplicity. In variousalternative embodiments, the routing criteria may be defined directlywithin the flow based criteria object “FB1” or the ISRP profile 700. Asshown, routing criteria may be associated with a validity area field 745and a time of day field 750. It will be apparent that variousalternative information may be included to define an IP flow such as,for example, an APN. In the example of FIG. 7, the resulting ISRP mayidentify itself as applicable when the UE is within the GeoFenceidentified as “Capitol Hill” and between Nov. 11, 2014 at 9 AM and Nov.12, 2014 at 11 AM. Such information may be included within the ISRP tohelp the ANDSF client determine when the ISRP is applicable.

The flow based criteria field 715 may also include a routing rules field755 for specifying one or more network elements to be used when an ISRPgenerated by the ISRP profile 700 is used. Similar to the list ofnetwork elements field 640 of the ISMP profile 600, the routing rulesfield 755 may reference one or more network element objects. As shown,the ISRP 700 identifies five network element objects, “NE2; NE3; NE4;NE7; NE8.”

As noted above, the ISRP profile 700 applies to a flow-based ISRP. Thetechniques described herein are also applicable to create ISRP profiles(not shown) that apply to service-based and non-seamless offload ISRPs.For example, the ISRP profile 700 may be modified to include, instead ofthe flow based criteria field 715 (and any child fields 720-755), aservice based criteria field (not shown) or a non-seamless offloadcriteria field (not shown) including the information appropriate todefining such alternative criteria within an ISRP.

In various embodiments, the ISRP profile 700 may fully specify theinformation for inclusion within a generated ISRP. In such embodiments,the ANDSF server may only reformat the information into the appropriateISRP format for inclusion within the ISRP forwarded to the ANDSF client.In other embodiments, various adaptive or procedural generation may alsobe employed, such as that described above with reference to the ISMPprofile 600. For example, the ISRP profile 700 may alternatively specifyan algorithm for use in generating an “available list” that removed oneor more network elements from the list specified in the routing rulesfield 755. Further, the ANDSF server may apply access network selectionrules defined by the various network element objects to create an“applicable list” that may further eliminate some network elements fromthe list. Furthermore, the ANDSF server may apply one or more scoreformulae, according to the methods described herein, to the networkelements to generate relative priorities for the network elements to beincluded within the RoutingRule information carried by the generatedISRP.

FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary data arrangement 800 for storing anetwork element object. As such, the data arrangement 800 may be storedin a memory 330 or storage device 360 of the ANDSF server 300 and mayreflect contents of the network element objects storage 260. It will beapparent that the data arrangement 800 may be an abstraction and may bestored in any manner known to those of skill in the art such as, forexample, a table, linked list, array, database, or other structure. Insome embodiments, the data arrangement 800 may be accessible using aquery language such as, for example, the structured query language(SQL).

The network element object 800 stores various information relating to anaccess point that may be used by various UEs to access a network. Asshown, the network element object 800 includes a name field 805identifying a name of “NE2.” This name may be used by other componentsto reference the network element object 800. For example, the ISMPprofile 600 and ISRP profile 700 both reference this name. As such, inevaluating the ISMP profile 600 or ISRP profile 700, the ANDSF servermay be configured to access the network element object 800 to retrievevarious information for inclusion in the policy element or for use inprocedurally generating information for such use. For example, as notedabove, the ANDSF server may calculate scores for network elements basedon a utilization value and weight value. As such, the network elementobject 800 may include a utilization field 810 and a weight field 815.As shown, the utilization field 810 may store a value of “0,” which mayhave been received in a recent periodic network status report sent by anexternal node. The weight field 815 may indicate a weight of “40” whichmay have been assigned by the operator of the ANDSF server.

As also described above, various network elements may be associated withaccess network selection rules for use by the ANDSF server indetermining whether to exclude a network element from a policy element.To this end, the network element object 800 includes an access networkselection rules field 820. The access network selection rules field 820may include one or more criteria for evaluation by the ANDSF server in amanner similar to the evaluation described in relation to the policyrules. If any of the criteria are applicable, the ANDSF server maydecide to exclude the network element. As an example, the access networkselection rules field 820 of the network element object 800 indicatesthat the network element NE2 should be excluded from an ISMP or ISRPwhen either the subscriber is not a “PLATINUM” category subscriber orwhen the utilization of the network element has been reported to be“80.”

The network element object 800 may also include information that may beused by the algorithms described above for excluding network elementsfrom an available list. For example, the network element object mayinclude a geo location field 825 indicating a real world location of theassociated network element. In the example, the network element is shownto be located at GPS coordinates “33.759; −84.401.” This information maybe used, for example, as part of the “proximity” algorithm to calculatehow close the UE is to the associated network element.

The network element object 800 may also include various information thatmay be copied into the policy element. As shown, the network elementobject 800 may include a time of day field 830, custom data field 835,and an access type field 840. The access type fields 840 may beassociated with additional fields such as, for example, an SSID field845, BSSID field 850, and access information field 855. The informationstored in these fields may correspond to various fields carried bycomponents of a policy as defined by the relevant specifications. Themeanings and placement of such additional information within a policyand by an ANDSF client will be apparent.

FIG. 9 illustrates an exemplary method 900 for generating a policy. Themethod 900 may be performed by the components of an ANDSF server, suchas the rules engine 215, profile evaluation engine 225, access networkselection rule evaluation engine 235, and network element prioritizationengine 245 of the exemplary ANDSF server 200. The method 900 may beexecuted whenever the ANDSF server determines that policies should beprovided to an ANDSF client such as, for example, upon receiving a PULLrequest from the ANDSF client or upon determining that a policy shouldbe PUSHED to the ANDSF client.

The method may begin in step 905 and proceed to step 910, where theANDSF server may receive a UE location to use in generating the policy.The UE location may be reported by the ANDSF client via a policy PULLrequest, a previously reported location, or an anticipated futurelocation. Next, in step 915, the ANDSF server retrieves a policy rulefor evaluation. In various embodiments wherein the policy rules areordered, the ANDSF server may retrieve the next policy rule according tothe order. In step 920, the ANDSF server may begin evaluation of therule by determining if the current context matches the criteriaspecified by the policy rule. For example, the ANDSF server maydetermine whether the UE location matches a location specified by thepolicy rule. Various other criteria will be apparent in view of theforegoing. If the criteria matches the current context, the method 900proceeds to step 935. Otherwise, the method 900 proceeds to step 925where the ANDSF server determines whether any additional criteria-basedpolicy rules remain for consideration. If so, the method 900 loops backto step 915 to evaluate additional policy rules. Otherwise, the ANDSFserver may locate a default rule in step 930 and the method 900 proceedsto step 935. In various embodiments, the default rule may not be setapart from the other policy rules; instead, the default rule may includeuniversally-met criteria (or be otherwise recognized by the ANDSF serveras always applicable) and may simply be located at the end of theordered list of policy rules. In such embodiments, steps 925 and 930 maybe omitted as separate steps because their functions may already beperformed by step 920.

In step 935, the ANDSF server retrieves a result from the policy ruleresult section. In various embodiments, wherein the results are orderedwithin each policy rule result section, the ANDSF server retrieves thefirst result, which may be a reference to a policy profile. In step 940,the ANDSF server evaluates the policy profile to generate a policyelement, such as an ISRP or ISMP. In step 945, the ANDSF server may addthe policy element to the policy under construction at the next highestpriority available for the policy element type. For example, if theANDSF server generates the third ISRP for the policy, the ANDSF servermay add the ISRP to the policy with a priority value of “3.”

In step 950, the ANDSF server may determine whether additional resultsremain in the policy rule for evaluation. If so, the method 900 may loopback to step 935 to evaluate the additional results. Otherwise, theANDSF server may proceed to transmit the policy to the ANDSF client onthe appropriate UE. The method 900 may then proceed to end in step 955.

It will be apparent that the method 900 may be a simplification in somerespects. For example, it will be understood that, while various methodsfor generating ISMPs and ISRPs for inclusion within a policy aredescribed herein, additional information may be included in a policy.For example, a policy may also include discovery information. Suchdiscovery information may be inserted into the policy at any appropriatepoint and may include evaluation of a network element object to retrievethe information to be included.

FIG. 10 illustrates an exemplary method 1000 for evaluating a policyprofile. The method 1000 may be performed by the components of an ANDSFserver, such as the profile evaluation engine 225, access networkselection rule evaluation engine 235, and network element prioritizationengine 245 of the exemplary ANDSF server 200. In various embodiments,the method 1000 may correspond to step 940 of the method 900 forgenerating a policy.

The method 1000 may begin in step 1005 and proceed to step 1010 wherethe ANDSF server retrieves a profile for evaluation. For example, invarious embodiments, the method 1000 may be invoked by a rules engine orother ANDSF server component based on a profile name. In suchembodiments, the ANDSF server retrieves a profile associated with theidentified name. As noted above, the profile may identify a list ofnetwork elements, some of which may be included in the policy elementunder construction. The ANDSF server may begin the processor ofpotentially eliminating some network elements from the list in step 1015by retrieving a network element from the profile. Then, in step 1020,the ANDSF server applies one or more algorithms specified by the profileto the network element to determine whether the network element shouldbe excluded. Evaluation of the algorithm may also include an access toan associated network element object identified by the network elementname. For example, where the profile indicates that a “proximity”algorithm should be used, the ANDSF server may execute the proximityalgorithm to decide whether the location of network element, asindicated by the associated network element object, is close enough tothe UE for potential inclusion in the policy element. In step 1025, theANDSF server evaluates the result of the algorithm to determine if thenetwork element is considered available to the UE. If so, the ANDSFserver adds the network element to the available list, which may befurther processed for additional network element exclusion. The ANDSFserver then determines, in step 1035, whether additional networkelements remain in the profile to be evaluated. If so, the method 1000loops back to step 1015. Otherwise, the method 1000 proceeds to step1040 where the ANDSF proceeds to further process the available list andpotentially eliminate additional network elements.

In step 1040, the ANDSF server retrieves a network element from theavailable list for further evaluation. Then, in step 1045, the ANDSFserver retrieves any access network selection rules carried by theassociated network element object and, in step 1050, applies the accessnetwork selection rules. For example, the ANDSF server may evaluatecriteria carried by the rules such as determining whether arecently-reported utilization for the network element passes a specifiedvalue. In step 1055, the ANDSF server determines whether the evaluationof the rules indicates that the network element is considered applicableto the UE. For example, in some embodiments, the ANDSF server mayconsider a network element applicable only if each of the criteriaspecified by the access network selection rules evaluates to a “false”value. If the access network selection rules evaluation determines thatthe network element is applicable, the ANDSF server adds the networkelement to an applicable list in step 1060. The ANDSF server thendetermines, in step 1035, whether additional network elements remain inthe available list to be evaluated. If so, the method 1000 loops back tostep 1040. Otherwise, the method 1000 proceeds to step 1070 where theANDSF proceeds to prioritize the applicable list.

In step 1070, the ANDSF server retrieves a network element from theapplicable list. In step 1075, the ANDSF server calculates a score forthe network element according to a score formula. For example, the ANDSFserver may use a hard-coded formula or a formula that has beenpreconfigured by the ANDSF server operator. In some embodiments, theANDSF server may refer to the network element object to determine whichscore formula to use. After calculating a score, the ANDSF serverdetermines, in step 1080, whether additional network elements remain inthe applicable list for score calculation. If so, the method 1000 loopsback to step 1070. Once a score has been calculated for each networkelement in the applicable list, the method 1000 proceeds to step 1085,where the ADSF server creates a prioritized policy element, such as anISMP or ISRP. The policy element may identify each of the networkelements from the applicable list along with a priority. In someembodiments, the network element with the lowest calculated score may beassigned a priority of one, the network element with the second lowestcalculated score may be assigned a priority of two, and so on. Variousother methods of using scores to assign priorities will be apparent.Step 1085 may also include completing other portions of the policyelement such as, for example, copying values from the network elementobject or policy profile into the policy element. Various alternativeembodiments may complete at least some of these other portions at othertimes. For example, the policy element may be initialized and providedwith validity area and PLMN information after step 1010.

It will further be apparent that various procedures of 1000 may beomitted or provided in a different order. For example, steps similar tosteps 1040-165 may be performed prior to steps similar to steps1015-1035, such that access network selection rules are applied toeliminate network elements prior to application of the algorithmspecified by the profile. Further, steps 1070-1085 may be omitted, suchthat another method of prioritization is employed. For example, thenetwork elements may be assigned a priority based on the order in whichthe network elements are listed by the profile. Various otherarrangements will be apparent.

In view of the foregoing, various embodiments enable flexible generationand provision of policies to an ANDSF client. For example, by generatingprofiles based on operator defined policy rules, policy profiles, ornetwork element objects, an operator may easily define and extend thebehavior of an ANDSF server. Various additional benefits will beapparent in view of the foregoing.

It should be apparent from the foregoing description that variousexemplary embodiments of the invention may be implemented in hardware.Furthermore, various exemplary embodiments may be implemented asinstructions stored on a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium,such as a volatile or non-volatile memory, which may be read andexecuted by at least one processor to perform the operations describedin detail herein. A machine-readable storage medium may include anymechanism for storing information in a form readable by a machine, suchas a personal or laptop computer, a server, or other computing device.Thus, a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium may includeread-only memory (ROM), random-access memory (RAM), magnetic diskstorage media, optical storage media, flash-memory devices, and similarstorage media.

It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that any blockdiagrams herein represent conceptual views of illustrative circuitryembodying the principles of the invention. Similarly, it will beappreciated that any flow charts, flow diagrams, state transitiondiagrams, pseudo code, and the like represent various processes whichmay be substantially represented in machine readable media and soexecuted by a computer or processor, whether or not such computer orprocessor is explicitly shown.

Although the various exemplary embodiments have been described in detailwith particular reference to certain exemplary aspects thereof, itshould be understood that the invention is capable of other embodimentsand its details are capable of modifications in various obviousrespects. As is readily apparent to those skilled in the art, variationsand modifications can be effected while remaining within the spirit andscope of the invention. Accordingly, the foregoing disclosure,description, and figures are for illustrative purposes only and do notin any way limit the invention, which is defined only by the claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method performed by an access network discoveryand selection function (ANDSF) server for provisioning policies, themethod comprising: identifying, by an ANDSF server, a locationassociated with a user equipment device (UE) in communication with theANDSF server via an S14 session established over a first access network;determining, by the ANDSF server, a plurality of access points for useby the UE to utilize at least one access network other than the firstaccess network; calculating, by the ANDSF server, a first score, using afirst score formula, for a first access point of the plurality of accesspoints; calculating, by the ANDSF server, a second score, using thefirst score formula, for a second access point of the plurality ofaccess points; calculating a third score, using a second score formulaother than the first score formula, for a third access point of theplurality of access points, wherein the policy additionally identifiesthe third access point associated with a third priority that isdetermined based on a comparison of the third score to the first andsecond score; generating, by the ANDSF server, a policy identifying thefirst access point associated with a first priority and the secondaccess point associated with a second priority, wherein the firstpriority is set higher than the second priority based on a comparison ofthe first score to the second score; and transmitting the policy to theUE via the S14 session over the first access network.
 2. The method ofclaim 1, wherein identifying the location comprises receiving, from theUE, a request for a policy, wherein the request identifies the locationas a current location of the UE.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein thefirst score formula comprises a weight assigned to a respective accesspoint and a recent utilization rating of the respective access point. 4.The method of claim 1, wherein the first score formula is previouslyconfigured by an operator to be used by the ANDSF server.
 5. The methodof claim 1, wherein: determining the plurality access points comprisesevaluating a policy profile to generate a list of access pointsincluding the first access point and the second access point; andgenerating the policy comprises creating a first policy element based onthe policy profile, wherein the first policy element identifies thefirst access point associated with the first priority and the secondaccess point associated with the second priority, and wherein the firstpolicy element is at least one of an inter system routing policy (ISRP)and an inter system mobility policy (ISMP).
 6. The method of claim 5,wherein: the policy includes a second policy element that is at leastone of an ISRP and an ISMP, the first policy element is associated witha first element priority within the policy, and the second policyelement is associated with a second element priority within the policy.7. An access network discovery and selection function (ANDSF) server forprovisioning policies, the ANDSF server comprising: a network interfacein communication with a first access network; a storage device; and aprocessor in communication with the network interface and the storagedevice, wherein the processor is configured to: identify a locationassociated with a user equipment device (UE) in communication with theANDSF server via an S14 session established over the network interface;determine a plurality of access points for use by the UE to utilize atleast one access network other than the first access network; calculatea first score, using a first score formula, for a first access point ofthe plurality of access points; calculate a second score, using thefirst score formula, for a second access point of the plurality ofaccess points; calculate a third score, using a second score formulaother than the first score formula, for a third access point of theplurality of access points, wherein the policy additionally identifiesthe third access point associated with a third priority that isdetermined based on a comparison of the third score to the first andsecond score; generate a policy identifying the first access pointassociated with a first priority and the second access point associatedwith a second priority, wherein the first priority is set higher thanthe second priority based on a comparison of the first score to thesecond score; and transmit the policy to the UE via the S14 session overthe network interface.
 8. The ANDSF server of claim 7, wherein, inidentifying the location, the processor is configured to receive, fromthe UE, a request for a policy, wherein the request identifies thelocation as a current location of the UE.
 9. The ANDSF server of claim7, wherein the first score formula comprises a weight assigned to arespective access point and a recent utilization rating of therespective access point.
 10. The ANDSF server of claim 7, wherein thefirst score formula is previously configured by an operator to be usedby the ANDSF server.
 11. The ANDSF server of claim 7, wherein: indetermining the plurality access points, the processor is configured toevaluate a policy profile retrieved from the storage device to generatea list of access points including the first access point and the secondaccess point; and in generating the policy, the processor is configuredto create a first policy element based on the policy profile, whereinthe first policy element identifies the first access point associatedwith the first priority and the second access point associated with thesecond priority, and wherein the first policy element is at least one ofan inter system routing policy (ISRP) and an inter system mobilitypolicy (ISMP).
 12. The ANDSF server of claim 11, wherein: the policyincludes a second policy element that is at least one of an ISRP and anISMP, the first policy element is associated with a first elementpriority within the policy, and the second policy element is associatedwith a second element priority within the policy.
 13. A non-transitorymachine-readable storage medium encoded with instructions for executionby an access network discovery and selection function (ANDSF) server forprovisioning policies, the non-transitory machine-readable storagemedium comprising: instructions for identifying, by an ANDSF server, alocation associated with a user equipment device (UE) in communicationwith the ANDSF server via an S14 session established over a first accessnetwork; instructions for determining, by the ANDSF server, a pluralityof access points for use by the UE to utilize at least one accessnetwork other than the first access network; instructions forcalculating, by the ANDSF server, a first score, using a first scoreformula, for a first access point of the plurality of access points;instructions for calculating, by the ANDSF server, a second score, usingthe first score formula, for a second access point of the plurality ofaccess points; instructions for calculating a third score, using asecond score formula other than the first score formula, for a thirdaccess point of the plurality of access points, wherein the policyadditionally identifies the third access point associated with a thirdpriority that is determined based on a comparison of the third score tothe first and second score; instructions for generating, by the ANDSFserver, a policy identifying the first access point associated with afirst priority and the second access point associated with a secondpriority, wherein the first priority is set higher than the secondpriority based on a comparison of the first score to the second score;and instructions for transmitting the policy to the UE via the S14session over the first access network.
 14. The non-transitorymachine-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the first scoreformula comprises a weight assigned to a respective access point and arecent utilization rating of the respective access point.
 15. Thenon-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein thefirst score formula is previously configured by an operator to be usedby the ANDSF server.
 16. The non-transitory machine-readable storagemedium of claim 13, wherein: the instructions for determining theplurality access points comprise instructions for evaluating a policyprofile to generate a list of access points including the first accesspoint and the second access point; and the instructions for generatingthe policy comprise instructions for creating a first policy elementbased on the policy profile, wherein the first policy element identifiesthe first access point associated with the first priority and the secondaccess point associated with the second priority, and wherein the firstpolicy element is at least one of an inter system routing policy (ISRP)and an inter system mobility policy (ISMP).
 17. The non-transitorymachine-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein: the policyincludes a second policy element that is at least one of an ISRP and anISMP, the first policy element is associated with a first elementpriority within the policy, and the second policy element is associatedwith a second element priority within the policy.